Gifted
by Asukai Haruka
Summary: AU Misaki is a gifted girl on the run from her past, and Kourin is your not so typical antisocial and lonely but very gifted pop star. A chance meeting between the two opens the door to a future that could either save or destroy them both... Misaki x Kourin YURI "We both know what it's like to walk alone. We both know... how much it hurts..."
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here comes the Misaki x Kourin fic I have wanted to write for a while now. This pairing is amazing (it obliterated my Kai x Misaki feels completely) and they are actually quite suited for one another, teasing smart _seme_ and cute **_**tsundere**_**. Though, Misaki can be rather **_**tsun**_** herself too… Well, I like **_**tsunderes**_**, so no complaints here!**

**I have created a false town in Japan to be used in the story. Any resemblance held to actual towns, decrepit or thriving, is merely coincidental. Also, I do not own Cardfight Vanguard. If I did, Bermuda Triangle (especially my sweetheart Pacifica), Angel Feathers (exclusively Celestials) and Oracle Think Tank will get more support (biased to my favorite decks), and Misaki x Kourin would be an official pairing. **

**Haruka**

**Misaki's POV**

Stepping out of the shadows, I hesitantly taste the air, disgusted by the reek of humanity that immediately greets my nostrils. The presence of humans sets me on edge, I want desperately to flee, but where to? I have already fled everything that I know, all alone, I am in a strange world I know nothing about. There are many lights that eliminate the shadows I long to keep to, and humans stroll back and forth along a gray path of some sort in hurried manners. Tall buildings loom around me in various colors and designs, and strange metal bodies set upon rubber circles, called 'vehicles', carry humans around on black paths at high speed.

Dressed in a loose white dress, barefoot and with long lavender hair tumbling freely over my back, I realize that I must stand out quite considerably in this human habitat. Blood drips from my face from the wound I accidentally gave myself, and the humans are giving me second looks because of it. This is very bad; I cannot afford to attract attention to myself! I must find a place close to vital resources like food and water to conceal myself within before I am found…

My eyes glow a brilliant scarlet, a map of the city immediately enters my mind even though I have never seen it in my entire life. Names of streets, stores, buildings, companies and other information rushes to me from my surroundings, and I have everything memorized within seconds. Every single bit of information I found useful is now ingrained in my eidetic memory, never to fade away. I am in a town called Hirai in Osaka, Japan, in the Ichiyama Shopping District, which unfortunately has very few stores selling food. If I head north from here and travel exactly four hundred and thirty-six meters, I will come to a park where water is present and cafés are plentiful. Good, I will head there immediately and check out the security firsthand (according to the information I have garnered, there is minimal security), then take a drink and find myself a place to sleep for the night. This is all I can do for now, I will continue planning after I have collected more information.

Plans comfort me, I enjoy the security and certainty knowing and formulating plans entails, facts are all that I am interested in and emotions are of no use to me. Having a plan, however small or short, allows me to feel safe and guided, it makes me feel as if I am working toward something and heading somewhere, instead of running around like a chicken with its head cut off. The humans who contained me know this, they have given all the staff a warning that '#10 is the smartest and most gifted of them all, and she seems to enjoy planning. Keep your guard up whenever you are around her, for you will never know when #10 has a plan to escape or to harm you.' It was good advice indeed, for I have been planning escape from the moment I was capable of conscious thought. I always made sure that I could harm those humans as a bonus, evident from the number of lives I have claimed whenever I had even the slightest opening, because I loathe them with every fiber of my being and desire to erase them from this world.

Silently, I head toward the park as quickly as possible, sticking to the shadows and ignoring all humans around me. Having them in such close proximity makes me feel uneasy, my stomach churns and my brain is on high gear, ready to destroy anyone and anything that shows the slightest threat toward me. Wiping the blood from my left eye, I continue my journey toward the park as stealthily as possible, constantly reviewing the information in my mind to ensure that I will not make any mistakes.

Save for my dress I have nothing else in the world to call my own, I have never had a home, for my entire life all I had was a habitat that provided me the necessary requirements to survive. A blank white room with a reinforced Plexiglas wall on one side, containing a simple white padded chair where I spent most of my life with a helmet connected to my brain firmly locked to my head. That is the habitat I lived all my sixteen years in, with minimal contact with humans because I am simply too dangerous. My brain is a perfect machine, no, it is beyond perfect, and that resulted in me being classified a freak and locked away in an underground, bombproof facility being monitored every second of my life. That is why, now, I am not asking for much at all, for I never had much to begin with. I am used to the emptiness; after all I had sixteen bloody years to grow accustomed to it. Well, either that or go insane…

"Hey, lady, are you homeless or something?" a teenaged human boy asks, eyeing me with lust so clear in his eyes that even if I were not a mind reader, I would still have understood his intentions. "I can offer you a few nights at my place, give you some clothes and food and stuff. Nothing is free, of course, so I expect a different kind of payment from you since you're a penniless bum." He waggles his eyebrows suggestively, and I resist the urge to kill him. I cannot draw attention to myself by killing any more people, for if I do, _they_ will be on me in a second and I will have to put up a huge fight to get away again. My freedom is much more valuable than this idiot's pathetic life.

I ignore him, fighting to stay calm as the park comes into physical sight, constantly reminding myself that I am not allowed to kill anyone. Not for today, at least. I should wait for things to calm down, then I can kill whoever who displeases me or crosses the line with me. As long as I moderate my murdering, _they_ will not be too suspicious that the deaths are my work. _Pull yourself together, Misaki. You can make it without killing any more people today, I hope._ Great, that sure is encouraging, brain.

The human boy pesters me and follows me despite my indifference, trying desperately to get me to answer him and to go along with whatever sick plan he has in his twisted mind (which I actually know very well, being a mind reader). Annoyed, I turn to glare at him, killing intent clear in my crystal blue eyes, hoping that I will be able to scare him off. The wind around me picks up, throwing my hair around wildly, and my eyes glow an eerie scarlet color. That makes the human male start and back away from me, terrified; I watch in satisfaction as he flees from me like a dog with its tail between its legs. Alone again at last, I enter the dark park and head straight for the brightly lit cafés along the side of it, careful not to go close enough to be seen by the humans within. The wail of a police siren makes me tense and I melt into a bush, watching and waiting until the darned thing leaves the city. I track its progress in my mind, as well as locate every other vehicle of its kind deployed with the purpose of apprehending me, and decide that it will be safer for me to remain in the bushes and use my mind to scout everything out instead. The scarlet glow of my eyes might give me away, though, so I should face away from the humans to be safe, or just close my eyes and let my mind do the seeing. It will take up more energy, though, and I fear my body might not have enough for me to last for a while without much food.

There is a bakery nearby that displays its food in the open, it will be much easier for me to steal food there for I do not need to use too much of my precious energy. The other shops have glass cases or only prepare their food upon ordering, which will just be a little troublesome for me to steal from. This is a good place to stay, temporarily, until I can find myself a more suitable habitat to live in. There is food, albeit at a cost, water is available nearby, and I have shelter. My basic needs are fulfilled, what more can I ask for? It may be a barbaric place to be living, but at least I have my freedom, and that is good enough for me.

I melt through the bushes to the lake, reminded of my thirst, take a long drink and then find myself a nice sandy hollow to curl up in, hidden from the prying eyes that seek me. For tonight, I shall rest here, and tomorrow I shall find out more about this strange world I am in. There are many things I need to learn, many things I have yet to see and experience in this place, and I will need to gather information and adapt quickly if I am to survive.

**Kourin's POV**

"Kourin-chan! Kourin-chan~!" Dozens of fans yelp my name excitedly, pressing themselves up against the sides of my limousine as I try to escape the restaurant, cursing my elder sister for choosing such a public place to meet me. It is of no trouble to her at all, Suiko is a calm and boring businesswoman who does not have legions of fans that are willing to stalk her anywhere. For me, however… I cannot even get out of the damn parking lot. Who in the world told these fans that I was here anyway? Or was one of them dining in that fancy restaurant when I was present, undisguised, with my elder sister? Ugh, it does not matter either way, unless it was _her_ who told them… if it was, I will strangle that girl the next time I see her.

My cellphone chirps and I unlock it, growling when I see the message "_Having fun, nee-chan? It was my idea that you and Suiko-nee meet at such a lovely restaurant! Did you enjoy it? Rekka_" I should have known it was Rekka's idea, that younger sister of mine is such a b*tch on so many levels. Suiko is just _yandere_, her cruel streak is saved for the girls who know the boys she goes after, not her family members. I shudder at the thought and then send a rather vulgar response to Rekka, cursing the day she was born and bemoaning the fact that I did not drown her shortly after her birth when I had the chance to. My younger sister responds with "_That's mean, Kourin-nee! I'll tell mom on you!_" Annoyed by both Rekka and the fans still blocking the damn road, I reply, "_Go ahead. I live in my own house by my own rules so mom can't do anything, and since when have you actually been a sister to me?_" That should effectively shut her up.

Honestly, I only see Suiko as a sister, albeit a distant and rather frightening one, for since we were kids all that damn orange-red haired younger sister of mine has done was hurt my feelings. I had no friends and had the social skills of a hermit (and to be honest nothing has changed even now), and Rekka's teasing served as additional barbs. I was all alone in the world, and my younger sister's words just made it more obvious. It was not that I was unpopular, people actually swarmed around me trying to befriend me, but I did not like them. They were all fake friends seeking to show off that they know the 'beautiful, sure to be famous' Tatsunagi Kourin, and what I sought (and still am seeking) was a real friend.

My chauffeur curses under his breath and says, "Tatsunagi-san, I can't drive without running anyone over." Part of me is tempted to instruct him to drive on anyway, but I cannot possibly order him to hurt others, now can I?

_Since when have you cared about people anyway, Kourin? _Fair point… the only person I have remotely cared about was Sendou Aichi, a girly boy from back in school that Rekka and Suiko insisted I had feelings for. I had forced myself to feel that way for him, but in the end I came to realize that I really cared little about him, I only remotely liked him because he was such a girl. When he turned out gay and started dating another guy in school, I had not felt any pain at all, and when I confessed it to Suiko she told me that it confirmed that I never harbored feelings for that boy. "Maybe you are incapable of harboring feelings for anyone. Other than resentment and annoyance, of course," my elder sister had told me, she had meant it as a joke, though I think it is most probably true. At the age of fifteen, I have not had a single friend, and more disturbingly (for my religious parents anyway), the only reason I kind of liked a boy was because he was a lot like a girl.

Sighing deeply, I instruct the stressed chauffeur, "Emergency call Kazuya, tell him that he'd better settle everything fast, even if he has to use tear gas and rubber bullets." He snorts and obeys the order; I can tell that he too has had enough of all my annoying fans. Especially that boy with the weird hairdo, a gravity-defying V shape, who shows up everywhere I do screaming my name and calling me his girlfriend (the cheek of him, I don't even like guys). I loathe that they call me 'Kourin-chan'; I have not given anyone in the world permission to address me so informally, as if we were friends, and now a couple million strangers are doing it. I know that it is them going crazy over me that keeps me famous and rich, but I really loathe it. I really am not cut out for this pop idol superstar thing...

"Good news, Kazuya-san's sent armed guards to disperse the crowd," my chauffeur sighs deeply as he hangs up the phone, "Sit tight for a little while, Tatsunagi-san." _As if I had any choice. If I try to go out there, that crowd will try mauling me…_ I have experience with that, when I was a relatively new star at the age of thirteen, I went around normally without disguises and had part of my shirt ripped off by a mob of fans, locks of my hair chopped off by others, and some maniac even cut my arm to take some of my blood home with him. My parents insisted that my manager sue the trousers off that guy, of course, and when Kazuya was through with him that fan had barely anything left to his name. The amount of Kourin paraphernalia he had was frightening and extremely disturbing, for he had pieces of my clothes and some of my hair in jars on top of the typical posters, plushies, mugs, CDs and whatnot that the publicity department comes up with.

Suzuki Kazuya, my manager, is one of the most annoying people in the whole wide world. He likes to get on my nerves just to see me react, the sadistic piece of shit, but at least he can be relied on to help me whenever I am in a pinch. He is particularly good at getting rid of crazy fans because he used to work in the riot control department with the local police force. The angered and frightened cries of my fans pierce the air soon enough as they begin to flee from the security guards brandishing tear gas canisters and tasers. That boy with the V shaped hairdo has to be tasered and carried away again, I really wish he would stop doing all this. It is really creepy…

"Finally!" the road clear of people at last, my annoyed chauffeur steps on the gas with a relieved cry and speeds out of the car park before anything else happens, turning into the highway and taking me back to my mansion in the rich district of Hirai in no time. The only sound to be heard is the smooth purr of the engine, which helps soothe my throbbing head immensely. I remind myself never to go out in public again without armed security guards, and to get Rekka back by putting red ants in her bed again or something.

When the gates close behind the limousine, I heave a sigh of relief, release my chauffeur for the day and head home by myself. My chauffeur gets into his own car, an ancient Toyota Corolla, and drives out the gate to his home, some small place near Osaka Castle Park. It will take him a while to drive there, he will probably arrive home shortly after midnight, not that I particularly care. As long as he can drive me around tomorrow, I'm fine with whatever he does.

The entire mansion is unpopulated save for me; I refuse to allow servants and whatnot to live in my house for I feel very uncomfortable around people, especially strangers. To have ten or twenty strangers living in the same house as I am… the very thought of it makes me shudder. Considering how cheerful, friendly and sociable I act when I am the pop star Kourin, this is pretty unexpected but acceptable. I am anti-social in real life, so what? At least I am not like those crazy drug, alcohol or sex addicts many pop stars become after a few years of fame. That is what Kazuya says, anyway, and he has managed a few crazy divas so I should trust him.

I take a brief shower, dumping the white lace gown I was wearing for a comfortable white tank top and blue shorts, and then settle in a comfortable position to dry my hair while checking my popularity charts on my smartphone. My newest single has topped the charts, and the next four places following it are all songs by me. The two music companies that rejected me for having 'no talent and no charisma' must have their knickers in a twist right now, seeing the amount of money they turned away flooding into the pockets of a rival company. I snicker lightly; it serves them right, and then scan the charts to see if I have any new competition.

_Nope, you have no new competition at all, Kourin. You have only lost a couple competitors whom you completely kicked out of the charts… _Talking to myself, is it a sign of impending insanity or is it just another part of me that stemmed from me having no friends at all? I shake away the thought and run my fingers through my now dry hair, not at all bothered to suppress a long and loud yawn. I have had a long day today, recording a new song, learning a few dances for my upcoming concert and then meeting Suiko for some family matters (dad wants me to move back home, again). Tomorrow, I have a free day, so I should go take a walk in the park or something… it sounds nice… *yawns*

Flopping into my bed, I tell my sleepy mind one very important lie before I drift off to sleep. _I, Tatsunagi Kourin, am not lonely…_

**A/N: So, how did I do? I hope I managed to portray both characters well and did not make them too out of character… Please leave me a review if you have any comments at all, I won't bite!**

**Again, cardfighting will most likely not be present in this story. I cannot really see how it would fit, considering the circumstances. Oh, and in case it was not obvious enough, I do not like Rekka. At all.**

**Haruka**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for all the support and sorry for the wait! It will definitely be longer between chapters from here until November because of O levels, but I will try my best to sneak an update whenever I can! (I am supposed to be doing homework right now, but…)**

**I hope you will enjoy this chapter! Please leave a review if you have any comments at all!**

**Haruka**

**Kourin's POV**

I take one last look in the mirror before heading out to the park, going over my lousy disguise. I am wearing a dark gray fedora with the length of my blonde hair tucked into it, a black jacket over a white button-up shirt, a short pleated black skirt and black boots. With sunglasses on top of that, I think I look pretty suspicious, but at least I am not recognizable at first sight.

Locking the door behind me, I rush to the park as quickly as I can, wanting to avoid the morning crowds as much as possible. Hiding myself in a corner on the public bus, I watch the sleepy high school students come and go, thanking my lucky stars that I no longer have to attend public educational institutions. By the time the bus stops at the park, barely anyone is left on it save for a couple of old ladies heading to the market.

Running into the park, I immediately head for my favorite spot, pushing my way through the bushes to a small sandy clearing by the lake. Just as I am nearing it, I spot a flash of white, and quickly shift into the bushes, careful not to lose my beloved fedora in the foliage, taking a look at the intruder. It is a teenage girl, tall and slender, with long lavender hair so pale it is nearly white to her waist and brilliant crystal blue eyes that has found my secret haven. Her features are delicate, beautiful, and she carries about her an air of naivety and innocence, yet of tragedy and danger. She is clad in a sleeveless white dress that stops mid-thigh, which exposes her pale and slender arms and her long, toned legs. Stunned by her beauty, I can only stare and wonder if she is the personification of the goddess Amaterasu come to Earth.

Her eyes glow a vivid scarlet and she whirls around suddenly, a strong gust of wind blowing away my cover and nearly sweeping away my hat. She growls in a soft and feminine voice, "Who are you?" The edges of her lips are curled up in an animal-like snarl, danger radiates from her slender frame. I lick my dry lips and reply, my heart beating wildly in my chest, "T-Tatsunagi Kourin." She looks as if she does not know who I am, her still-scarlet eyes burning into me. How in the world did her eyes change colors like that, I wonder, is it a trick of the light? The scarlet actually moves, flickering and shifting as if it were lit by a real flame behind her eyes, growing darker and lighter in random places.

"I won't hurt you," I tell her soothingly, and her brows furrow. "I can tell that," she responds, her eyes returning back to azure blue and her body relaxing, "I am Misaki. No honorifics, please." Misaki… the name suits a girl as dazzling as her. Curiously, I inquire what she is doing here in the park, and she responds matter-of-factly that she is staying here temporarily as she has nowhere to go.

I have no idea what came over me when I opened my mouth to speak, "You can stay at my house, Misaki. I can take care of you until you find a permanent place to live." Realizing what I have said, I instantly become flustered, for I sounds as if I am… interested in Misaki. She cocks her head to one side adorably, examining the tomato impression I must be pulling right now, and I stutter, "I-I mean, it's just t-that a girl s-shouldn't be staying out i-in the open by herself, y-you know? So if y-you d-don't mind…"

She chuckles lightly and I stop my babbling, looking away from her in embarrassment. Oh goddess, what have I done? Why can't I think straight and act cool around this girl? Ugh… _Kourin, pull yourself together!_ I manage to muster to courage to look at her again, and I am rendered breathless by the angelic and beautiful smile on Misaki's face. "I will not be intruding upon your…" she wrinkles her nose and says, "'house', you called it?" I nod vigorously, ensuring her that it is alright. My house is huge, I can invite thirty people over and not catch a single glimpse of them for the entire day (the servants who clean every day are like this, I've never seen them before). Soothed, Misaki gratefully accepts my offer, tilting her head and smiling at me like a small child.

"Shall we take a walk?" I ask nervously, extending my hand in invitation to the lavender haired girl. Warily, she eyes me, a brief scarlet glow taking over those crystal blue orbs once more, then relaxes slightly and accepts my outstretched hand. Misaki looks like a lost child, frightened and unsure of herself, always questioning the intentions of the strangers around her as she tries to seek security in familiarity. However, she is unable to find any familiarity at all here; she is alert and edgy, her eyes flashing blood red with every sudden noise. I find it weird, is it natural for a person's eye color to constantly change?

Shaking away the thought, I lead Misaki through my favorite places in the park, holding hands the entire time. My heart is racing in my chest for some odd reason; there are butterflies in my stomach doing somersaults. Heck, they are probably holding an entire gymnastics class in there, I have never been this nervous in my life… Why do I feel this way? Is it because of this mysterious, innocent and beautiful young woman whose hand I am holding on to?

"Kourin-chan's in the park somewhere! Katsumi-san said he saw her!" I shudder when I hear the voices of my fans through the bushes, pressing myself against the trunk of a tree to hide as they run by. Katsumi is the name of the boy with the gravity defying hairdo that honestly makes him look more stupid than he already is, and he is the hardest fan of them all to shake off. Even in a neon pink wig or dressed as a biker badass, I am unable to fool this boy and shake him off my tail.

"Kourin-_chan_?" Misaki wrinkles her nose; she obviously knows the importance of honorifics and what they signify. I let out an annoyed growl and respond, "Fans have no idea what boundaries are. Goddess, I barely even let my siblings call me by my first name!" A small look of amusement flashes across the lavender haired girl's face, and she asks if I need any assistance in getting these fans off my back. I assure her that it is okay, and she gives me a smile, "If you say so, Tatsunagi-san."

"Call me-" She interrupts me and finishes my sentence, "Kourin, right?" I nod with a small smile, peeping warily from my hiding place to assure that all my fans have gone. Sighing in relief, I hear Misaki speak up, "What-" "-is with them, right?" I somehow manage to finish her sentence as well, as if we were sharing our thoughts. Gazing into her curious azure blue eyes I sigh, "They're just being fans, as always. Sometimes I wish I did not choose to become an idol…"

Misaki looks confused, as if she does not understand the situation I am bemoaning. At the exact same time, we both speak, "Shall we go somewhere safer?" Chuckling, I say, "We are on the same wavelength, huh, Misaki?" She smiles a little, her eyes growing warm, "It seems so, Kourin."

The way our names rolled off the other's tongue felt perfect, as if we were made for each other, made to call out to each other. This warm, fluttery feeling in my chest… I wonder what it is…

**Misaki's POV**

It is strange that I can read Kourin's mind without any effort, it does not feel as if I am intruding upon her thoughts like a spy, it feels as if our souls are connected and communication is flowing freely between us due to it. Kourin is able to read me too, and I know that she is just an ordinary human. There is something between us, something more powerful than anything in the world… It is unlike anything I have experienced before, and telepathy has always been my usual mode of communication since young.

"Let's head to my place, then," the blonde says with a smile, obviously still shaken by that almost encounter with her 'fans'. I know the dictionary definition of the word, and honestly know nothing else about them and their behavior. It seems that Kourin is used to it, though, and dislikes it greatly. The fact she dislikes them makes me dislike them instantly as well, I have no idea why but my heart and mind seem set on loathing anything that makes Kourin uncomfortable or upset.

"Sure." I have no idea why I trust this human, she is one of _their_ kind and hence an enemy of mine. However, I do not feel repulsed by her like I do toward other humans, I do not feel wary of her nor do I feel the need to constantly be on my guard. There is bitterness within this girl, a pained darkness, something that is echoed similarly in my soul; is this the reason for my attraction to her? The fact that we are alike, birds of a feather in this tumultuous world, trying to find our safe place?

Kourin and I slip through the bushes to leave the park, heading for the bus stop. I feel uneasy walking barefoot on the sidewalk in full view of the humans I loathe, my eyes turning a brilliant scarlet as I scan the city to find out exactly where _they_ are. None of _them_ remain here, _they_ must have been fooled by my trick of removing my tracker and dumping it in a random vehicle that passed by, the fact comforts me and I allow my eyes to return to their natural color. _They_ had always wanted to find out why our eyes turned scarlet whenever we activated our abilities; _they_ thought it was because of the additional blood that rushed to our minds that our eyes changed, pulsing with the blood that throbbed through our veins. They could never confirm it, for they could never get close to us when our powers were active and then leave alive.

I understand what Kourin meant about having a big house when we stand outside it; she lives in a habitat so large that it is comparable to the facility in which I spent most of my life. Her habitat is decorated with many strange things, and many contraptions I have only heard of before fill the rooms. There are televisions in nearly every single room, there are various game consoles all over the place, there are music playing devices almost everywhere one looks… It is a much nicer place than the one that I lived in.

"The benefits of fame," Kourin shrugs modestly, looking rather embarrassed, "I have more money than I know what to do with." I chuckle a little, amused. Money is something that humans are constantly worried about, money seems to make these creatures' world go round. I do not exactly understand how the system of exchanging goods and basic necessities for paper and metallic circles works; it seems that there is a large value behind the paper and metal they are trading.

"Are you hungry?" She asks, jolting me from my thoughts, "I'll be making breakfast in a bit." I nod with a grateful smile, I am starving, and she gives me the go-ahead to explore her house as I please while she prepares the food. I have no idea how to prepare food and decide to take her up on her generous offer, wandering through the huge house and examining its layout in my head.

I discover a room filled with discs framed up on the walls, they all have a picture of a happy and smiling Kourin on them and have little plaques under them holding the names of the album and award it has been given. Spotting the exact same discs in plastic covers in a corner, I extract one and access the world data archive to find out what in the world I am supposed to do with it. In moments, the CD is playing and Kourin's amazing voice flows from the speakers.

"_Koko ni iru no, itande iru. Umi tsuzukeru kono mune_

_Hashiri dashite tsumazui tara modorenai wa"_

I'm here, it's really painful. My heart is filled with agony. If I stumble while running, I can never go back… The haunting melody grips me, ingraining itself in my brain, something I would never forget. It is so depressing, a song pleading for help, for someone to save her from her loneliness and pain… Do humans listen to this without trying to help one another?

"Misa-" Kourin pales when she hears the haunting melody, "Where'd you get that?" Confused, I gesture to the stack of discs in the corner, and she shakes her head with a sigh, stopping the music and taking the CD away. Changing the subject, she informs me that the food is ready; I can tell that something unnerves her. "It's real, isn't it?" I ask her, and it is her turn to look confused. "Every word in that song. You meant it, didn't you?"

She looks down, laughing awkwardly, "It was just random-" She tenses with a gasp when I wrap my arms around her, pulling her smaller body toward me in a gentle embrace. "Don't lie to me, Kourin." Even without trying to, I could tell that she was lying to me, that she was much lonelier than she would ever admit. Humans find it difficult to exist alone, for they rely on other humans for emotional support. This girl has set expectations so high that she is unable to find a human who can meet them, hence she keeps pushing them away as she slowly falls apart inside.

"I know you're lonely. I know you're hurting inside but you don't want to show it." The tension in her body tells me that I have hit the nail on the head.

Kourin mumbles almost moodily into my arms, "I don't know what you're talking about." Gently, I cup her cheek and make her meet my eyes, "Really?"

The kindness and warmth I am exuding gets to her, Kourin breaks down in my arms and buries her face in my chest, sobbing like a child. Stroking her back, I tell her something that I never thought I would say in my life. "You don't need to be lonely anymore, Kourin. I'll be here for you." She sobs even harder upon hearing that, wrapping her arms around me and letting out all the pain she had hidden in her heart.

Indeed, we are alike, wounded terribly by this world and the cruel circumstances it had forced upon us. Tatsunagi Kourin is not like any human I have encountered before, I feel a soul-deep longing to protect and comfort her, to be by her side always. Kissing her forehead gently, I cradle the wounded but gifted young idol in my arms, determined to help her recover so that she can live her life to the fullest.

"Misaki…" she sobs softly, letting down all her barriers, "Please don't go…"

"As long as you will have me, I will never go."

It is strange that we have come to trust each other so completely even though we have just met. We, who have never trusted anyone before, suddenly feel we can leave our lives in the hands of someone who is a perpetual stranger… This must be Fate at work; there is no other explanation for it.

**A/N: Should I continue?**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Greetings, people of the world! Today, I bring with me a hopefully exciting update and some shameless self-advertisement! Please check out my fic Fragments of Cray (rated M for not-so-innocent yuri)! Thank you in advance! Oh, and the song from before was "Can't I Even Dream?" by Hatsune Miku, obviously not owned by me.**

**To X-42S: Bring it on! After you burn my rearguards, I will call two Silent Toms to replace them! :D**

**To StattStatt: I hate Morikawa too, he is really annoying. Every time he spazzes at Kourin, I wish Misaki would slap him in the face or something. I'm glad you found the chapter enjoyable. Hopefully, this will be too!**

**To Tsukuyomi-chan: You have named yourself after the card that doesn't particularly like me. In my Full Moon deck, I usually Final Turn with CEO Amaterasu, though Crescent and Half Moon like me well enough. Okay, enough with the random info. Thanks for the review, I'm really glad you find this story interesting!**

**Haruka**

**Misaki's POV**

Breakfast ended up going cold by the time we got to the dining room, not that I mind. Food is food, and goddess, Kourin can cook. Said blonde seems rather embarrassed by her breakdown, looking down at her plate and refusing to meet my eyes, and I leave her to her privacy. I will not pry; I want her to trust me and to tell me things at her own pace, which is something I have never done before. As a child, I read every mind that came into my range, gathering information and shaping the world around me bit by bit, it had never occurred to me that humans need privacy. Gathering information was the only way I knew how to survive back then, I had to find out every little thing I could so no one could get the upper hand of me.

"I-I'm sorry," she mumbles softly, her cheeks are dyed red and her eyes are downcast, I can tell she is afraid that I will look down on her because of her weakness. "Silly girl, there's nothing to apologize for," I respond, leaning over to gently rest one hand on top of hers, "Everyone has weaknesses, even I do." Her cheeks burn a more vivid shade of red and she looks down in embarrassment, I can feel how wild her pulse is and it troubles me. Why is her heart beating so quickly? Is she feeling threatened, frightened, unwell?

When we have finished the meal and dumped the dishes into a contraption called a dishwasher, Kourin asks me hesitantly if I would like to continue listening to her music. I agree enthusiastically, I can see why her fans mob her incessantly now; she is immensely talented and extremely adorable. _Still, she is a human,_ a part of me hisses, _and humans cannot be trusted._

Shaking the negative thoughts away, I return to that music room with Kourin following behind me, having already memorized the layout of her home and the purpose of every room. She has a number of empty bedrooms which were probably intended for guests but ended up rotting with disuse due to Kourin's anti-social nature. I settle down on a large red beanbag and watch the blonde choose a CD and insert it into the stereo system, captivated by her every little movement. She hands me a towel to wipe the blood off my face, I have almost forgotten about that minor injury…

"_Aitai nante iwanai, imasara himitsu mo nai. Kyou mo tashika onaji kotoba de kimi wo dakishimeta_" The childlike and sweet voice that flows from the speakers is unlike the haunted, pained pleas of the voice that first struck my ears. Kourin starts to sing along softly, the recordings hardly do her amazing, angelic voice any justice. The song is a cute love song that is rather _tsundere_, as it starts with "I won't tell you I want to meet you; it's no secret by this point". _Tsunderes_ are like that, refusing to be honest with their feelings even when it is blindingly obvious, I find it rather endearing.

I never thought that something this normal could happen to someone like me; I never thought I would be able to sink into a fluffy beanbag with a human companion by my side, listening to music in a relaxed state as if the past had never happened. I wish my life can be like this forever, endless peaceful days by Kourin's side… but once she finds out who I am, _what_ I am, all these days will definitely disappear. She will call the police on me and allow them to do to me what they have done to numbers 1 through 9, won't she?

Something deep within me tells me she will not do such a thing, that she will stand by me even if she knows what I really am. I highly doubt it, though, what I am is much too frightening to be overlooked, the blood on my hands is the blood of her kind, and the darkness in my heart stemmed from the atrocities her kind has committed upon me. Indeed, I am a human myself in the scientific term of the word, but no one would ever consider me an actual "human" because of my differences with them. My unnatural hair color is one, but the biggest and by far the most frightening are my powers and my so-called "complete lack of empathy, sympathy and human compassion". I am a murderer, and they will never let me forget that. Not that I particularly mind, since being called a murderer by humans feels to me like a human would being called a murderer by cockroaches.

The next song comes on, jolting me from my thoughts, "_Itsuka kimi ni tsugeta chiisana negai oboeteru?_" Why are all these songs such cheery love songs? It must be one of her public albums, containing songs without much real feeling in them, which is why nothing deep or saddening will be found in it. Oh well, it is good music, so I have nothing to complain about.

A sudden wave of violent feedback from my instincts make my eyes blaze scarlet and my entire body stiffen, my mind screaming at me to _watch out, goddammit!_ My radar fans out, locating _them_ in no time. It seems they have caught up to the vehicle I tossed my tracker into and figured out my trick, and then backtracked to the last confirmed location where I was sighted, here. My lavender hair must have made their job easier for them, for anyone who saw me with Kourin on the way here can point them to this very house.

They are searching the garden now and have the intention to barge into Kourin's house with a search warrant before noon. It infuriates me, how dare they try to invade the privacy of the only human worth shooting in this whole damn world? I rise stiffly and mumble, "I'm going to the bathroom." Kourin looks up at me and concern shows on her face when she sees my scarlet irises, but she questions nothing. "There's a bathroom down the hall to the left," she informs me, I thank her and head for the nearest window.

They are in the backyard now, away from any witnesses. This is perfect; I can deal with them all now and head back without leaving any evidence. I shall dump their bodies and spread their blood in another location near the outskirts of the city, tweak some memories and technologies to provide a false high-speed chase and have them out of my skin for a few weeks at least. It will take a lot out of me to use my powers so extensively, but I am safe here and have plenty of food and water so I do not need to conserve energy.

Leaping down from the second floor window, I land lightly in the grass and face the three armed men calmly, my eyes a calm crystal blue. "Looking for me?" I ask calmly, attracting their attention and enjoying the stark terror that fills their pathetic forms. "There she is! It's #10!" Two point their guns at me as the third tries to radio for help; I immediately fry the circuitry of the radio system by heating up the entire core of the contraption.

Helpless, they charge at me in a futile attempt to at least land a blow on me before they die. My eyes blaze a brilliant, living scarlet, making them freeze where they are and whimper pathetically. One of them fires at me, a concentrated tornado of air sweeps the bullet along with it toward him, ripping him to bloody shreds. The wind tears his flesh apart, a twister forcing its way through his chest and spreading outward, reducing him to bloodied lumps of human anatomy. My stoic features have not changed; it terrifies the remaining two immensely.

"D-don't hurt me!" the nearest one throws away his gun and cowers at my feet, pleading for mercy. _Fool, who in the right mind will show mercy to an insect such as yourself? Die, you worthless coward._ Another concentrated tornado tears him to pieces as his gun floats in to the air, seeming to set itself upright and point itself at the last remaining man.

"No fair!" he cries weakly before the trigger is pulled, sending the specialized "super bullet" into his chest and killing him instantly. Telekinesis is a useful skill to have, especially when it is as advanced as my own. I easily use my powers to dump the bodies in the outskirts of the city, dump their car there, remove the bloodstains from Kourin's backyard and splatter them convincingly around the men's corpses. Retaining their body heat for a little longer, I create a false radio call and insert into the memories of those at the command center of a chase that never happened. They will believe that I have fled the city and will spend the next few days hunting around for me where I definitely am not. All I have to do is ditch this dress and cut my hair short, since many youths these days dye their hair outrageous colors. I just have to alter my style and keep a lid on my powers when I am in public so my eyes remain blue, and they will hopefully mistake me for any typical human teenager.

Tired, I troop back into Kourin's home and slump myself on the beanbag, ignoring her raised eyebrow and allowing my body to relax to her upbeat music. Today's killings have assured me that I will never be able to fully escape my past; I will always have these shadows chasing after me. However, they are no match for me as long as my brain is free to function properly and I have food and water on hand, all I will have to do is kill a couple of them once in a while and leave false trails. However, in time they will put the pieces together and I will have to reveal my identity to Kourin, or else leave her in the middle of the night to find another place to live.

_I don't want to leave Kourin; I want to stay by her side forever._ I wish that were possible, but… unless I can reveal my identity to her and somehow get the government agents to stop hunting me, I will never be able to stay in one place for very long. I will be leading the life of a hunted animal, fleeing from state to state from armed agents on my tail. However, they will not blow their cover by making things too public as the experiments done upon the ten of us back in that habitat were top secret and unapproved by the people. I will only have to watch out for government agents, no one else will know and no one else will be my enemy but them.

**Kourin's POV**

Misaki has fallen asleep on the beanbag; she looks extremely angelic and beautiful, yet so very wounded and fragile. Many events must have transpired in her past, causing her to become wary and withdrawn, yet she was compassionate enough to open her heart to a complete stranger, assuring me that she will be by my side even though we barely know each other.

I never would have believed that I, Tatsunagi Kourin, would willingly trust a stranger with an unknown past and break down in her arms, but all that just happened today. Meeting Misaki was definitely no coincidence, was Amaterasu finally paying me back for giving me Rekka as a little sister by introducing to me the world's most beautiful and amazing girl?

Smiling warmly, I stroke Misaki's pale lavender hair gently, marveling at its silkiness and color. Is it possible for a person to have natural lavender hair like that? Well, my sister does have natural blue hair, Rekka's hair is orange-red and I am an Asian with blonde hair, so who am I to wonder? The CD stops, having finished playing, and a peaceful silence descends upon the room.

I continue stroking Misaki's hair gently, chuckling as she presses her head into my touch, subconsciously asking for more like a cat. Obliging her, I start to sing one of my private songs softly, filling the silence with my voice. "_Mou nanimo kamo iya ni naru mae ni, hontou no ai wo kudasa-_" Before I get sick of everything, show me true love pleas-

She lets out a catlike purr and curls herself up into a tight ball, still pressing into me so I will continue stroking her. A tender smile tugs at the edge of my lips as I continue to sing, "_Kyou wa sukoshi sagatta yaburi sutetai tesuto. Kitai wo koe rarezu kizu ga fueteku. Furimukeba sutete kita tomodachi to ka yume to ka. Jiyuu wo ubawarete ikiru doushite?_" My test scores today have gone down; I want to tear them up. As I am unable to live up to your expectations, my wounds multiply. When I look back, I see all the friends and dreams I have thrown away. Why is it that I am still living when my freedom has been seized away?

I used to feel that way as a child, I was the kid who always topped the class and never talked to anyone. I was the nerd whom no one could get close to, I had high expectations imposed upon me by my parents and I proved to everyone that blondes were not at all stupid. By the third week of school, all the snide "for a blonde" comments had dropped, along with their jaws, since I topped every little test conducted in class, my homework scores were always the highest and I was the fastest learner. My parents were never proud of me, even now they are not proud of me, they always pick at me for the littlest faults. If I got 99 marks for a paper, they would scold me for that single mark I had lost. If I topped the class, they would say it did not necessarily mean I topped the level, and if I topped the level they would say it did not necessarily mean I topped the cohort of all students my age in Japan. They could never be satisfied, and I spiraled into a profound depression.

Now, I cannot care less about my parents' opinions because I am living this life for myself, not for them, and I do not have to make them happy. They want me to become a doctor or a lawyer, but I have always loved singing and I left school to make a career out of music. This is my life, I choose my own path and I should never be afraid of chasing my own dreams, my past has taught me that.

I wonder, what has Misaki's past taught her? It is definitely a tragic story, twisted and darker than my own; she would not carry such an air of angst and sorrow otherwise. Misaki, what secrets are you hiding behind that stoic yet gentle façade of yours? What pain has your soul been forced to endure? What is it that still tears at you from the inside, is it a terrible memory you need to forget?

**A/N: The songs used are **_**Switch**_** by SCANDAL, **_**Tell Your World **_**and **_**Chain Girl (Kusari no Shoujo)**_** by Hatsune Miku, in case you want to know. Please leave me a review; they really motivate me to get writing!**

**Should I continue?**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Pardon the long disappearance, the next chapter of Gifted is ready at last! Also, the first song I have used is _Change Me _by Meiko, and _World is Mine_ is sung by Hatsune Miku.**

**To X-42S, Bring it on! Battle Sister Chocolat will guard whatever you throw at me! Well, Misaki has her powers thanks to her brilliant brain, that is the only answer I have for that…**

**To StattStatt, always great to hear from you, my friend! I am glad you enjoyed the last chapter and I hope you will enjoy this one!**

**To Blackwing-Darkraven, I'm glad to hear that you like this story! I am sorry, but your Fragments from Cray requests will have to wait a little, I am really busy…**

**On with the story~**

**Haruka**

**Kourin's POV**

When Misaki wakes, she is embarrassed to find out that her head is resting in my lap and that I have been stroking her hair for the better part of three hours. After assuring her that it is alright and that I honestly had rather enjoyed myself, my darn phone rings, the special ringtone I reserved for my manager. I answer it immediately, not really bothered that Misaki can easily eavesdrop, as I have nothing in particular to hide from her, and something tells me that it is pointless trying to conceal things from her anyway.

"Kourin-chan, it's me, Kazuya!" as expected, my manager's annoying voice greets my ears, and I growl at him in response. Chuckling, he says, "Sorry to disturb you on your day off, but it's about your big concert tomorrow. You do remember that we will be rehearsing from four in the afternoon?"

With a sigh, I respond, "I'm not that forgetful, Kazuya. The concert's the only reason I've got a day off today." Kazuya chuckles and tells me in an overly cheerful voice to rest well and take care of myself so that I will be in top form tomorrow. I simply roll my eyes and hang up on him; I am not interested in dealing with him today, nor any day for that matter. He always enjoys getting on my nerves, testing my patience, and generally making me as annoyed as possible.

I get up and stretch, meeting my new friend's quizzical gaze and explaining to her that I intend to rehearse a few of the songs I will be performing tomorrow just to ensure I have everything memorized. She still looks confused, as if she cannot comprehend why a person would not be able to remember something, but happily accepts my invitation to join me in the studio and lend a helping hand.

After briefly teaching Misaki how to operate the expensive and annoyingly complicated stereo, I signal her to turn it on and to blast the music as loudly as possible so I can accustom my ears to the deafening levels of sound I will definitely have to endure tomorrow. The lavender haired girl cringes at the volume, I stick out my tongue at her teasingly and then raise my voice to sing, my body already settling into the steps of the dance. This is one of the few public songs I have that contain some of my feelings, and I am careful to sing lightheartedly so my fans will not think too much about it.

"_Nani ga dou toka wakaranai no yo, doushite kana… Umaku iezu 'hitori bocchi ne', mawari mitemo su doori. Dareka watashi wo tasukete hoshii, onegai…"_ I don't know anything and everything, and I wonder why… Aptly saying 'I'm alone, hey?', looking at those passing by in a cycle. I wish that someone would save me, please…

The lavender haired beauty across the room furrows her brows slightly, obviously not tricked by the lighthearted tune of the song and my false smiles. Watching me carefully, her gaze burns into my skin, her eyes seem to be committing every inch of me into her memory. Studying me, those crystal blue eyes bore into me, they seem to be pulling aside my masks and finding the true me. Blushing now, I continue singing and dancing, wishing that I picked a less… sexy dance to rehearse. My heart is thumping wildly in my chest, my throat is dry and the damn gymnastics class for butterflies is back on in my stomach.

When I finish the number and end with a flourish, Misaki applauds with a genuine smile on her face; it makes her look extremely young, fragile and harmless, a sweet girl who will never harm anyone. Thanking her sheepishly, I ask her to put on the next track I need to rehearse, one of the songs with a tricky dance number that tangles my feet in knots, _World is Mine_. The bridge nearly always trips me up, especially when I am in my usual white knee-high heels, and I have to get it perfected to save myself an embarrassing accident tomorrow evening. It surprises me that Misaki has already gotten the hang of my tricky stereo system; it took me a few weeks to grow accustomed to operating it. Also, she seems to have memorized all my dance steps, reminding me when I miss any in a cool, confident voice.

When I finish, the day has passed and it is already one in the afternoon; I am exhausted and sweaty but satisfied with my performance. I managed not to trip up at all in all my rehearsals of the _World is Mine_ dance today, which is a first, and I am practically glowing with the achievement. I have managed to achieve all the high notes and spoiled, rich-girl screams, which I am very proud of, it always strains my voice to sing _World is Mine_ and the lyrics do not feel like me. I mean… "number one princess in the world"? The song makes me sound selfish, self-centered and spoiled, which reminds me an awful lot of Rekka, whom I loathe. Still, it is a nice enough song and my fans love it, so why not sing it?

Walking over to the spellbound Misaki, I tap her on the shoulder and ask shyly, "W-would you like t-to come to my concert tomorrow? I-I can pull a few strings and get you a VIP ticket free-of-charge, i-if you want..." Why am I so darn nervous...? Is it because I am talking to an absolutely gorgeous young woman whom I definitely admire quite a fair bit?

A thoughtful look crosses the lavender haired beauty's features and she asks, an edge of nervousness in her voice, "Will there be many people?" I nod, wondering what it is that unnerves her, and she responds with a light, almost imperceptible shudder. I realize then that Misaki must be more antisocial than I am, and the thought of squeezing with a couple hundred people in an outdoor concert venue must be very unappealing.

"I'll get you a nice seat in the emptiest VIP section I can find, so _please_ come," I beg, pulling the puppy-dog eyes for the first time in my life. I have no idea why, but I really want Misaki to be there tomorrow, it will mean the world to me. Misaki looks momentarily stunned, her crystal blue eyes widening, and then she smiles and agrees, ruffling my hair.

"I'm looking forward to it," she says, tilting her head to one side and smiling angelically. I wonder once again what is it that she hides in the darkness that enshrouds her; what can such a sweet and beautiful girl be concealing from the world? She seems more innocent and much nicer than Rekka!

Shaking the thought away, I declare shower time and allow Misaki free reign of my wardrobe; as expected, she steers clear of my girly outfits and picks a pair of skinny jeans and a black hoodie. They might be a little tight on her, but it will have to do as she has nothing else to wear; it seems she has no home where she can return to and get clothing from. I guide her to one of the many bathrooms in my way-too-huge mansion and then head off to my own room to shower, forcing away inappropriate thoughts of Misaki in various states of undress as I wash the sweat from the rehearsal off my body.

After the shower, I sit drying my hair with one hand and holding the house phone with the other, shouting into the receiver that I will not go home and I will not give up my musical career to start one in medicine or law. _It is just a phase, Kourin,_ my father urges me, _you cannot make a living out of… creativity. _He says the last word as if he were saying "cancer", it galls me to the core. Pop stars, actors, actresses, authors, they are among the highest paid people in the world, and they are all creative! Who says creativity cannot help you earn a living? All the other pop stars I know are million or billionaires, I am already a millionaire myself! Authors can rake in profits with a notepad, a pen and their imaginations, actors and actresses rake in the cash by pretending to be who they are not... creative jobs can earn the talented more than enough money to last a lifetime, and they do not need to face the daily negativity all doctors and lawyers do! Creative jobs are the best as they give form to brand new things!

"Leave me alone!" with that, I slam the phone down and disconnect it to prevent my father from calling, turning off my family cellphone as well. With an annoyed huff, I run my hand through my almost completely dry hair and decide to go and look for Misaki, in case she has gotten lost somewhere in this immense mansion.

**Misaki's POV**

After the shower, I ask Kourin if she has a pair of scissors for me to cut my hair. Confused, she says she can recommend me a hairdresser and will take care of everything for me; I am relieved as I want my hairstyle changed as soon as possible. All records of me have been destroyed along with most of the scientists who knew me, so the government agents will be thrown off as long as I no longer fit the description they have been given. They do not think me intelligent enough to change my clothes and hairstyle; how dare they look down on me so? Well, it is to my advantage that they think me a primitive and unintelligent being without the capacity to adapt, I should be able to live right under their noses just by cutting my hair short.

The hairdresser cannot believe that I wish to chop off my long, natural lavender hair, but I assure her that I will regret nothing and she finally, hesitantly, gets on her way. In a better disguise than this morning, with a black wig and a thick, unflattering leather jacket, Kourin watches quietly in a corner as layers of my hair are sheared short, down to the base of my neck. The hairdresser keeps trying to chat with us, but neither of us really bother to respond to her nor laugh at her jokes, which rather unnerves her. Like a cat on hot bricks, she shifts around me constantly, talking in a high-pitched and nervous voice to thin air. She is saying absolutely anything that comes to her mind, and it honestly sounds rather ridiculous at times.

I silently memorize the process of her systematically cutting my hair, even if I do not wish to commit it to memory, I still will. I am unable to forget anything, and it is both a blessing and the world's most painful curse, for I can never forget and move on. All my pain, I have memorized it perfectly and it resurfaces at times, refusing to fade no matter how much I try to make myself forget. I long to burn the parts of my brain that store these terrible memories, but I am smart enough to know that doing that would be more or less suicide.

"Well, I have to say you look very beautiful with both long and short hair," the hairdresser announces when she has finished her work, "Don't you think so, miss?" She turns to address Kourin, who nods with a genuine smile and walks over to run her hands through my now short hair.

"You look really good," she tells me, a slight blush suffusing her cheeks, and I thank her while eagerly committing that image of her to memory. Even in that black wig and shapeless jacket, Kourin looks breathtakingly beautiful, a flower that can never be concealed no matter how many layers they place over it.

Kourin deals with the money that the hairdresser asks for and then guides me out of the store, laying low in the shadows to avoid any chances of being recognized. Together, we head back up the street to her mansion, and almost make it back without incident. However, we bump into that boy with the V-shaped hairdo just down the road from her house, and he leaps at her with a loud scream of her name. His shouting and flailing about attracts attention, and bystanders are all staring at him with quizzical looks on their faces.

Fans begin to race over in all directions, flooding Kourin and reaching out to touch her. The weird boy has pulled her wig off, and her lovely blonde hair flows gracefully down her back. Those fans are vying to touch it, trying to pull it out in clumps for keepsakes or something. Others are tugging at her jacket, tearing off strips of the dark leather, and others are ripping at her pale blue skinny jeans. A few of them manage to pull out a handful of brilliant yellow hair rather roughly, making Kourin cry out in pain. The sound reverberates through my bones; it knocks on the door of a certain vault of my memories, awakening what I have been trying hard to forget.

More screams of pain fill my ears, but they are not Kourin's, they belong to children who no longer live in this world. They belong to the dark and hopeless time of my past, and they consume my present with a frightening ferocity. My heart twists, and from deep within me, my instinct claws to the surface, seizing control of my body. Power flows, unrestrained, in an outward spiral from my body, throwing all the fans away from Kourin and down the street, knocking them all off their feet with the force of a bomb blast.

"Leave her alone," I growl slowly, enunciating each word carefully; my eyes are definitely a glowing, living scarlet right now. My short hair is whipping in a fierce wind that has picked up around me, and a huge telekinetic forcefield domes over us, shimmering slightly in the light. The strength of my telekinesis affects even the sunlight, which is starting to bend around the forcefield and making it glow even brighter.

In terror, all those annoying fans flee, save for the weird boy that I end up knocking out cold with a simple glance in his direction. A wall of telekinetic force slams into him like a truck, flinging him across the street headfirst. Back in the mansion, I finally calm down and my instinct bottles itself back up, allowing my eyes to return to their normal color and my brain to return to its normal state of activity.

"M-Misaki…?" Kourin asks softly, looking up at me with a little fear in her eyes, "What was… that…?" Oh boy... here come the consequences of my actions. I may not be able to stay here any longer, I may not be able to see the beautiful, alluring Kourin any longer...

I gulp and take a deep breath, wondering how I am supposed to explain it to her. I do not wish to lie to her nor tamper with her memories, I feel as if I owe her the truth. "Well… I'm not exactly… human, you see…" Oh come on, brain, you are supposedly more intelligent than any human being can ever dream to be, and that is all you can come up with? I was hoping to say something that sounds a little better than that…

Kourin nods expectantly and I continue, with a little difficulty, "I have an overly developed brain, so… I have some telekinetic powers." I keep the fire and wind a secret for now, as my control over them does not seem to have a scientific explanation just yet, and probably will never have as the scientists are already six feet under. I saw to that personally, and made sure that on Judgment Day, there would be a lot of trouble putting together what became of their bodies after I was through with them.

She nods again, trying to absorb everything that I have just told her. Her mind is swirling with fear and confusion, though there is something warmer and deeper there that I cannot identify. "It scares me a little," she says softly, and my heart drops, "However, I… I trust you, Misaki. You will not hurt me, I just know that." Before I can open my mouth to thank her, she continues, "You have definitely suffered more than I have, and I want to help you. Please, do not keep anything from me, okay?"

Gratitude wells in my chest as I wrap my arms around her, pulling the blonde as close as physically possible, "Thank you so much, Kourin. I will try my best." She blushes, I can feel the warmth of her cheeks against my ear; I smile and snuggle closer to her, glad to feel that she does the same. I love the feeling of her body pressed up against my own, and I am more than willing to commit the sensation to memory, burning it into my brain.

"Take your time, Misaki, I know that trust needs time to build," she mumbles softly, her arms wrapping around my back and one hand cupping the back of my head tenderly. It is my turn to blush at the intimate contact; I have never felt something so _warm_ in my entire life. "I will wait for as long as it takes, and I will not leave you."

Kourin is willing to accept me as who I am, she is willing to wait to hear my story; I have finally found myself a safe haven and a trustworthy angel whom with I can spend the rest of my life. The gaping hole deep in my chest is slowly being filled with a warm, bubbly feeling, unlike the venomous and vehement sludge of vengeance and hatred that used to fester there. At last, I have found that which I have been desperately seeking.

At last... my life is worth living...

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait, I've been having writer's block for certain pairings and my exams are just around the corner. I might be very inactive for the next two months or so, I apologize for it in advance! I will try my best to make it up to you guys after my major exams have passed!**

**Reviews will be greatly appreciated.**

**Haruka**


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